Stage 1 · Lesson 5 of 8
NIST AI RMF and its Generative AI Profile
The NIST is free, voluntary guidance from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. Version 1.0 came out on 26 January 2023 and, as of 2026, NIST says it is being revised. It has four functions.
Govern sets ownership, policies and culture. Map works out a system's context, purpose and who it affects. Measure assesses and tracks the risks.
Manage decides how to treat them. The Generative AI Profile (NIST AI 600-1, July 2024) applies this to risks specific to generative AI, such as (confident wrong answers), harmful content and data privacy. It is not a law, but it is the most widely used vocabulary for AI risk, including outside the US.
Common traptreating it as a checklist to tick; it is a way to organise decisions.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- CoursePaidGrokking Modern AI Fundamentals
Design Gurus · Beginner · $72 one-time
How modern AI systems are built and where they fail, so the rules make sense in practice
- CourseFreeEthics of AI (University of Helsinki)
University of Helsinki · Beginner
A free university course on accountability, transparency, fairness and harm, the ideas every framework builds on
Practise
Keep handy
Also worth your time
A clear example of the voluntary, principles-first approach many governments outside Europe have taken
- OECD AI PrinciplesGo deeper
The five principles that many national AI policies borrow